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Katatonia's first album (1993).

Katatonia's early work is much different to the depressive rock sound they later developed, another band that began as death-inspired doom metal before veering increasingly away from the genre (like Paradise Lost and Anathema). This Swedish band's take on death-doom isn't the most original, but the album is still an engrossing experience with all the tomb-like production of Anathema and a great mournful guitar and keyboard performance from Blackheim.

An oddity about this album is how widely varied the track lengths are, as songs tend to be either very short or extremely long. The long songs are always kept structurally interesting to avoid tedium, most evident in the shocking screamed section that explodes out of nowhere in 'Velvet Thorns,' and while some such as 'Tomb of Insomnia' dedicate themselves to the metal dirge approach, others like 'In Silence Enshrined' and the finale 'Dancing December' are comparatively upbeat. But only comparatively.